Dimitris Ilias
The city of Sainte-Thérèse seems vibrant despite covid. A slew of activities is organized through its public library, its website and via its elected officials.
Tax freeze for 2021
The Teresians will be happy to learn that the mayoress of Sainte-Thérèse, Mrs. Sylvie Surprenant, announced a real estate tax freeze for next year. The city’s 2021 budget will be officially tabled at the special meeting of the city council scheduled for December 7 but the tax freeze represents a welcome respite from extra financial obligations during these difficult times.
“The two levels of government have announced the granting of financial assistance to the City which will allow us to give taxpayers a break in 2021, the latter being already shaken by the difficult economic context surrounding COVID-19. In a period of budget preparation, one of our concerns is not to increase the tax burden on the population and this announcement is concrete proof of this,” said the mayor.
At this time, public meetings of the municipal council take place behind closed doors in accordance with the instructions issued by Public Health.
Free online computer workshops for Teresians
One could say the public libraries of the different municipalities have become hubs of much desired activities for residents. Through their online programs and children-oriented activities libraries take the edge off of anxiety related to lockdowns and the cancellations of after-school programs. Learning how to use technology to keep people close to each other and give them the opportunity to take advantage of online activities is also crucial. For that reason, this fall, subscribers to the Sainte-Thérèse library will be able to attend computer workshops completely free of charge thanks to AlphaNumérique . In the comfort of their own home, they will be able to connect to the Zoom platform and follow these workshops which will allow them to perfect their computer knowledge.
For residents using tablets the city has workshops as well. For iPad tablet users it will take place on Thursday, November 26, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. For Android tablet users: Friday, December 4, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. This workshop will teach residents how to navigate and use their tablet’s settings for an experience tailored to their needs. They will learn to: Identify the most used parameters, understand the structure of the drop-down menus, use the search bar and use the control center.
Also, in a workshop called To click or not to click? Teresians will be able to recognize and protect themselves from phishing on Monday, December 14, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. No one is safe from fraudulent emails and this workshop will help them identify phishing and counterfeits in order to protect themselves on the web. Residents will learn to understand the objectives of phishing, know the legal remedies, identify fraudulent emails and identify counterfeit websites.
All the details and the Zoom connection procedure are available at biblio.sainte-therese.ca.
Turgeon Street open to traffic from November 20, 7 p.m.
The City of Sainte-Thérèse is pleased to announce that after several months of major work, Turgeon Street will be reopened to traffic as of Friday, 20 November 19h. It will thus be possible to cross the railway line. Saint-Alphonse and Napoléon streets, which were also blocked by the construction site, will be accessible.
Some finishing work will be done during the week of November 23, but it will not affect traffic. As of November 20th, citizens and visitors will be able to resume their habits. The buses of the Exo transport network will also resume their usual routes.
The reopening of rue Turgeon allows easy and direct access to the Village of Sainte-Thérèse, where many shops are located. The city asks everyone to take the opportunity to visit them!
Grant program for the renovation of heritage buildings
The City of Sainte-Thérèse is proud to award Maude Brunet-Morand and Jean-Philippe Varin, the owners of 21, rue Morris, an amount of $ 2,250 for the repair of the brick parapet of their heritage home built in 1920. The grant is just in time to mark the house’s 100th anniversary this year! They are the second to take advantage of the new heritage building renovation grant program.
As the upper part of their house deteriorated over the years, they used this grant to make the necessary repairs and thus refresh the image of their residence. It is important to mention that this financial assistance covers part of the excess costs related to work carried out on a heritage building, which are higher than those of work carried out on a contemporary building.
“It is a source of pride to have many heritage buildings in Sainte-Thérèse. These are the witnesses of our history; it is therefore essential for the City to contribute to their preservation and to the enhancement of their architecture. Like Ms. Brunet-Morand and Mr. Varin, I strongly urge owners of heritage buildings to take advantage of this incentive,” said the mayor of Sainte-Thérèse, Ms. Sylvie Surprenant.
Last February, the City of Sainte-Thérèse identified the eligible buildings and launched this grant program totaling $ 300,000, aimed at the preservation and enhancement of heritage buildings and their original characteristics. To date, owners of buildings meeting the criteria can receive between 25% and 50% of the value of the renovations carried out, up to a maximum of $ 20,000, for work on walls, roofs, doors and windows, and architectural details and projections of their residence.
